


Code Red

by bearpantaloons



Series: The taste of blood on lips of wine [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Lex basically treats Red Daughter like the Winter Soldier, Mild torture, both Kara and Linda are still useless when it comes to Lena, memory wipes, why does Linda have so many dang names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 05:15:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18631546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearpantaloons/pseuds/bearpantaloons
Summary: Almost a retelling of 04x16. Linda Lee/Red Daughter is being groomed to become a weapon that destroys Supergirl, but escapes Lex’s torment and goes to the only person she feels safe around: Lena Luthor.





	Code Red

**Author's Note:**

> Slowly getting through my list of Redcorp headcanons. I didn't think it was possible for my writing to get worse, but here we are. I finished this after watching last night's Game of Thrones episode, Battle of Winterfell, and looking at all of the Supercorp gif sets/scenes, and I was so amped that I couldn't sleep. So, all errors are due to my brain being mush and firing on a million cylinders all at once.

The door to a darkened bunker swings wide open and a figure steps through it. He stalks toward a blonde woman slowly and the woman cowers in the corner of a small room. The cold, brick walls are covered in condensation and are slippery to the touch.

The man crouches down and lifts the woman’s chin up with a finger and forces her to meet his emotionless eyes. He smells of expensive cologne and sweat, but it’s better than the smell of mold that wafts through the bunker.

“Is she ready?” the man asks, examining his subject, staring into her eyes.

“Yes, sir. She has been prepped,” another, taller, man says.

“Good. Let’s begin, shall we?”

//

Kara cheerfully walks through the halls of CatCo with two coffees in her hands. She strolls through the office, stopping at Eve’s desk and setting one of the cups down.

“Morning, Eve!” she greets.

“Good morning, Kara. You seem extra peppy today,” Eve replies, gratefully taking the cup of hot coffee and sipping it slowly.

“Well, I caught my bus on time, so that in of itself is cause for celebration. Also, Snapper hasn’t yelled at me yet.”

“You just got here,” Eve observes.

“True! But sometimes he yells at me through texts before I’ve even arrived,” Kara says, grinning. “Anyway, I’d better get to work. See you later, Eve.”

“Bye, Kara,” Eve replies, eyeing Kara as she walks back to her desk.

By lunchtime, Kara is making her way to the elevator and runs into Eve again on her way out.

“Heading somewhere?”

“Oh, yeah! Just going to have lunch with Lena. I haven’t seen her in a while, so I figured we should catch up,” Kara explains while pushing the button for the lobby. “Plus, I’ll be out of town for a few days.”

“Oh?” Eve inquires. “Is Kara Danvers actually going on a vacation?”

Kara laughs. “Something like that. I’ll still be working, but after my interview with the alien ambassador from Thanagar, I’m free as a bird.”

When they get to the lobby, they part ways and Kara walks toward L-Corp, an extra skip in her step. She loves spending time with Lena, even if it’s just during her lunch break. With Lena, she can just be Kara Danvers, not Kara Zor-El, and not Supergirl.

She picks up their order from Noonan’s and continues on to L-Corp. After walking a few more blocks, she arrives at her destination shortly after and takes the elevator up to the top floor. Jess waves her through and Kara walks in happily. When she sees Lena behind her desk, nose buried in some paperwork, she waits by the door and stares at her friend reverently.

“Oh, Kara! Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” Lena exclaims, standing up from her desk and walking toward her. They hug each other and sit down on the couch in the center of the room. Kara pulls their food out of the bag and hands Lena her salad. She opens the container that holds her burger and fries and tosses a fry into her mouth.

“So! What’s been going on with you? Tell me everything,” Kara exclaims, throwing her hands up enthusiastically.

Lena ducks her head and smiles, picking at her salad. “Not much has gone on. I’ve just been working. I have another boring and tedious gala to plan for, but other than that, it’s business as usual. What about you? You’re heading out of town for a few days, I hear?”

“I am! I have an interview and then I’m doing some sightseeing. I should be back by Thursday, though.”

“Well, enjoy your time away from National City. You deserve a vacation.”

“Thanks. So do you, you know. You always work too hard.”

Lena shrugs. “Someone has to run this company.”

Kara gives her a look of concern. “Not twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

“You’re probably right,” Lena agrees, “but I can’t rest until this gala is over with.”

Kara leaves it alone for now, but she makes Lena promise that she’ll go home at a reasonable hour. She heads back to CatCo to finish up her workday and then she’ll need to go home and pack. It’s going to be a long week.

//

The blonde woman wanders through the dark, dank, hallways of the bunker, escorted by two armed guards. She was given books to read in English, as well as a file to go through. The guards take her to a well-lit room and leave her there. A couch sits in the corner and the walls are lined with books and various statues. The guards wait at the door and the woman walks to the couch and sits down.

A few minutes later, the man from before walks in. The woman can get a better look at him now and she sees that he’s on the shorter side, completely bald, and wearing an expensive suit. He walks to her and sits in a chair adjacent from the couch.

“Hello, Snowbird. Or, well, perhaps we should find you a regular human name to use if we’re going to take you out of the bunker.”

The woman’s ears perk up when she hears him say that she’ll get to go outside. She hasn’t been outside in who knows how long, only bathed in artificial sunlight and not knowing what it feels like to breathe in fresh air.

“Oh, you like that? You want to go outside? As long as you obey orders, you’ll be allowed to. Now, let’s begin our first lesson. Open up that file I gave you... Linda.”

//

“My name is Linda Lee and I am from Kasnia. Kara Danvers is my enemy. Supergirl is my enemy. I will destroy them.”

“Kill one and you kill them both,” the man sneers. “And what is my name?”

“Alex.”

The man laughs sardonically. “Close enough. Okay, that’s enough for today. We’ll work on your accent later. Follow me.”

Lex leads her down various corridors with the guards close behind, as usual. When they reach a large door, Lex disengages the many locks and as the door opens, sunlight shines through, stinging Linda’s eyes. She has to cover them with her hand and Lex takes her hand to pull her out.

Linda closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. The air is crisp and fresh, like breathing in new life into her lungs. When Linda’s eyes adjust, she’s able to take a look around. They’re surrounded by trees, secluded away from the chaos of the city. 

“Are you ready to test your powers?” Lex asks.

“My powers?” Linda replies with a frown.

“Yes, of course. You and Supergirl are the same, remember? Let’s get started.”

They spend hours outside, gauging Linda’s powers, seeing where her limits are - and there aren’t very many of them. Being in natural sunlight, rather than just sun beds, has made her incredibly powerful.

As Linda stands in the center of the forest, she slowly floats into the air and takes everything in. She is Linda Lee. She is Snowbird. She is Red Daughter.

She is a weapon.

After her training, Lex takes her back inside and they eat together - something that has become somewhat of a ritual. Lex trains her and then rewards her with Meal Ready-to-Eat packets or, if she’s lucky, some fresh fruit. When they’re done eating, Lex takes her to his office and prepares her for her next mission: she is to go back to National City with Lex, where she will learn everything she can about Kara’s everyday life while the real Kara is out of the picture. Easy enough.

//

Before they leave she’s given clothes to wear, although she doesn’t understand why she can’t just keep wearing her gray jumpsuit. She’s wearing a dark pink cardigan over a tan sweater, and pants that feel a little too tight. The glasses she’s wearing don’t do anything to affect her eyesight, but they’re annoying and she keeps having to adjust them on her nose.

When they arrive in National City, Lex drops Linda off at Kara’s apartment, so she can search for intel. After a few minutes of looking, Linda understands two things about Kara: first, she is a neat freak (she thinks that’s the term Americans use), and second, she owns an exorbitant amount of pastel-colored clothing.

As she looks through one of the desk drawers, Linda finds a book. Curiously, she opens it and it’s filled with handwritten lines - pages of it. She sits down on the couch and starts reading through it and she realizes that it’s a diary. The first entry is dated about two years ago and as she reads through it, there’s a common name that keeps coming up: Lena Luthor.

By the time Lex comes back to pick her up, she asks him about Lena. He tries to tell her that she’s no one.

“But why does she have your last name, Alex?”

“Coincidence,” Lex says stiffly, walking them down to the ground floor.

“I would like to visit this Lena.”

Lex stops dead in his tracks and turns to face her. “You will do nothing of the sort. You stay away from her, do you understand me?”

Linda steels her jaw in defiance, but ultimately concedes. Lex takes her back to a house far outside of the city and he tells her to wait there until he gets back. She, of course, doesn’t listen to him. The thought of Lena Luthor won’t leave her mind. Why was she so important to Kara Danvers? And why weren’t they allowed to meet?

She leaves the house and makes sure no one is around before she takes off into the air, heading toward CatCo Worldwide Media, where Kara works. Maybe she’ll find out where Lena works or lives while she’s there.

The sliding doors open for her and she walks right in. The security guard greets her cheerfully and Linda returns it with a smile. As she waits for the elevator, her nerves begin to surface. She’s been trained for this; espionage is something that she knows, so why does she feel this way? It feels like her skin is crawling.

The answer to her question is answered when the elevator stops on a floor that’s not Kara’s floor and she’s faced with two pale green eyes staring at her.

“Kara! I thought you were on vacation.” Lena looks surprised, but excited.

It’s her.

“Oh, yeah, I am—I mean, I will be. I just needed to drop something off for Snapper,” Linda stammers in her perfectly American accent.

“Well, I’m glad I got to see you before you left,” Lena says, grinning widely.

Just as Linda is about to mention how pretty Lena looks today, the elevator doors open and she sees a furious Eve looking at her. Eve clears her throat and tells Lena that she’s needed and gives Linda a look. Before she leaves, Lena suggests that they have a girls’ night and Linda blurts out that they could go to Big Belly Burger like Lena’s birthday last year - something she had read in the diary, so it must have been important.

After Lena leaves, Eve turns to Linda and scowls. “I know you were told you to stay put. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to meet Lena Luthor. She is related to Alex?”

“It’s none of your concern,” Eve spits back. “Your mission is to destroy Supergirl, not fraternize with CEOs.” Eve personally escorts Linda back to the house, where Lex is waiting. He gives Linda a disappointed look and puts a hand on her shoulder.”

“I really thought you would last longer this time,” he said. “We will be heading back to Kasnia tonight.”

“But I haven’t finished my mission,” Linda says, trying to buy herself some time.

“No matter. We can start again. Maybe next time will be more successful.”

//

 They arrive in Kasnia hours later and Lex escorts Linda to one of the lab rooms, sitting her down in a padded chair. He places a metal crown of electrodes on her head and straps her arms to the chair, even though she could easily break out of them. One of the other men in a lab coat grabs a green syringe and injects her with some type of red liquid and she squirms. She feels her strength draining from her body.

“I’m sorry to have to do this again, Snowbird, but I can’t allow you to interfere with what I have planned for my sister,” Lex says apologetically. He does show signs of actual, genuine, guilt and places a hand on Linda’s arm comfortingly.

“No. Alex, _please._ Don’t make me forget.”

 _Don’t make me forget_ her.

“I wish there were another way,” Lex replies. “Don’t worry, it’ll only take a second.” He nods over to the other man and a few switches are flipped. Linda’s body convulses as the electrodes shock her, jumbling and swirling her memories into the void. She tries to hold onto the image of Lena’s face, but like everything else, it fades away into blackness and she wakes up in a dark room, lying on top of a cold, hard mattress.

“She is awake, Mr. Luthor,” a voice says from the doorway.

“Good.” Lex stalks in slowly, still hidden in the shadows and the moonlight from the windows lights his face in a blue hue. “Hello, Snowbird. Do you know who I am?”

“A-Alex?”

Lex sighs. “Every time. Yes, that’s close enough. I’m Alex. I have a mission for you.”

//

Kara lands back in National City later that week and she’s exhausted. Between trying to get a break in her story, avoiding texts from Snapper, and trying to find time to relax, she hadn’t actually relaxed at all. She takes her phone off of airplane mode and texts Alex to let her know she’s back. She sees that she has a text from Lena, too, and when she opens it, it’s Lena telling her that she’s free for Big Belly Burger whenever she is. That’s odd, she doesn’t really know what Lena means by that, but it must just be her trying to schedule a meet-up with her, since Lena knew she’d be coming back that day. Using her thumbs, she fires off a quick text, telling Lena to just tell her when and where and she’ll be there.

They end up meeting later that night and Lena had miraculously left work on time. They meet up at the burger joint as planned and Kara walks up to Lena, who was waiting for her outside. Normally, they went to other, fancier places for their girls’ nights, but there was something about sharing fries with your best friend that made things feel better.

“So, how was your trip?” Lena asks, stealing one of Kara’s fries and popping it into her mouth.

Kara shrugs, “Oh, you know, it was a lot of work. I got my interview, though, so at least there’s that. I just need to transcribe it and figure out how to insert it into my story.”

Lena hums and nods. “You’ll figure it out.”

//

A couple weeks later, Kara is going out of town again on another “story lead,” but in actuality, she’s doing Supergirl business with Alex. They know Lex Luthor is out of prison and is probably back with a vengeance, so they need to stay alert.

Lena is on her way to one of the labs to check on the status of one of her prototypes when she enters the elevator and sees a familiar pair of blue eyes.

“Kara? What are you doing here?”

The blonde looks at her like it’s the first time she’s looking at her. She shakes her head rapidly and adjusts her glasses, grinning sheepishly. “Oh, I was just catching up with Sam.”

Lena gives her a confused look. “Um, Kara, Sam hasn’t worked here for months. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh, of course! I meant Sophie, from finance.”

Lena raises an eyebrow. “You know Sophie from finance?”

Kara laughs. “Of course I do! We go way back.” Lena notices that Kara’s fidgeting more than usual, but decides not to address it.

“Well, since you’re already here, do you want to grab lunch? Noonan’s?”

Kara’s eyes light up. “Noonan’s! Yes, that sounds great. We go there all the time.”

When they leave the building, Eve rushes toward the both of them and tries to tell Lena she’s needed in one of the boardrooms. Lena waves her off and tells her that they can wait. Eve glowers and departs with a huff. They walk to the restaurant together and get seated in a booth immediately. Kara pours over the menu, which is odd, because she almost always orders a burger and fries. When the waitress comes to take their order, Lena nearly chokes on air when she hears Kara order a salad. She waits until the waitress leaves before mentioning it.

“You never order salad.”

“Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf,” Kara guffaws and snorts at her own joke. Lena chuckles and shakes her head, dropping the subject. They finish eating and Kara escorts Lena back to her office. She stands in the center of the room, fidgeting again.

“Is everything okay?”

Kara looks up at her and chews on the corner of her lip before speaking. “Would you like to, maybe, I don’t know… have dinner sometime? With me?”

Lena stares at Kara for a moment, feeling her heart rate increase. They’d had dinner before – many times, actually, but this felt different. Was Kara…

“You don’t have to. I shouldn’t have asked,” Kara blurts out, shaking her head and backing up toward the door. “I’ll see you later, Lena.” She turns to walk out the door, but Lena rushes forward and grabs her wrist.

“I’d love to have dinner with you, Kara,” she says gently.

Kara’s eyes widen. “Really?”

Lena nods, but their conversation is cut short when Eve bursts through the door in a frenzy.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt, Ms. Luthor, but Snapper is on a rampage and I need to take Kara back right away.”

Lena smiles professionally, not letting the outburst affect her. “Of course. Please tell him I’m sorry for keeping Miss Danvers so long.”

Eve gives a tight-lipped smile. “Of course. Come along, _Kara_ ,” she says through gritted teeth. She pulls the imposter out of the office gingerly and walks her straight to the elevator, waiting until the doors close behind them before she starts screaming. “What do you think you’re _doing_?” she exclaims. “Lex sent you here for a specific reason, not to ask his sister out on a date. Jesus, he’s going to blow a gasket and you’re going to get your memory wiped again.”

“No, please Eve. Don’t let him do that to me again.”

“Sorry, hon, it’s for your own good. Lex really needs to stop letting you read that stupid diary, though.”

Electrodes. Shocks. Lost memories. Rinse. Repeat.

_Lena._

//

Kara checks in at the DEO after helping Alex and J’onn with some rowdy aliens. It wasn’t too tough, but she could definitely use a shower and a quick power nap. After being debriefed, she says goodbye to everyone and flies home. A buzz from her phone surprises her and she sees a message from Lena, asking if they’re still on for dinner. Kara can’t, for the life of her, remember discussing having dinner with Lena, but she shrugs and answers affirmatively, saying she wouldn’t miss it for the world. Yeah, that sounded good.

After a hot shower, Kara changes into some pajamas and sets her alarm a couple hours before she and Lena are supposed to meet. She dreams of Krypton, of Alex and Eliza, and she dreams of sage green eyes looking at her with despair and betrayal.

Her alarm jolts her awake and Kara reaches over and turns it off, narrowly avoiding smashing it to bits and pieces on her nightstand. She groggily wipes her eyes and rolls out of bed and opens her closet. She chooses a navy blue button-up and some tan slacks to wear, not much different than what she’d wear to work. Business casual was fine for dinner with a friend, wasn’t it? She quickly brushes her hair and her teeth before she gets another text from Lena, saying that the car is downstairs. Kara grabs her bag before shuffling out of her apartment and quickly trots down four flights of stairs before meeting up with the black sedan. Lena’s driver is standing outside with the door already open for her and she climbs in.

As Kara slides onto the seat, she takes a look at Lena and almost swallows her tongue. She’s wearing a strapless black dress and the sleeves hug her shoulders and there’s _cleavage._ So much cleavage.

“Oh, Rao,” Kara chokes. “I mean—I, uh, wow. You look—golly.” She stops talking, trying to keep herself from sounding more foolish.

Lena smiles shyly. “Thanks. I made reservations already. I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s perfectly fine! You know I trust your judgement in food.”

Lena snorts at that. “Kara, you always make fun of what I eat.”

“Because all you eat are _salads_!”

Lena looks at her curiously again, running her hands down the fabric of her dress that lay across her thighs. “I thought you said you were turning over a new leaf.”

Kara snorts. “What?”

“The joke you made earlier?” When Kara continues having the same blank look on her face, Lena shakes her head. “Never mind. Anyway, I think you’ll like this place. It’s relatively new, but I’ve heard good things.”

Kara smiles and shrugs. “I’m sure it will be great.”

They get seated in a small booth, their knees nearly touching underneath the table. Kara’s palms are sweaty and she’s not sure why. They’re just friends having dinner, after all - except, Lena is dressed like _that_. She takes a long sip from her glass of water, because her mouth is uncharacteristically dry. The words on her menu look foreign, but they aren’t really. Lena sees her squinting her eyes at the different dishes and laughs.

“Do you want me to order for the two of us?”

Kara smiles gratefully. “Sure, but no kale, please.” She folds the menu up and waits for the waiter to take their order. He comes back shortly after with a bottle of wine and shows it to Lena, who nods.

Their conversation is light, like the ones they usually have when they have lunch together, but the air is thick and it feels different somehow. Kara notices a figure standing outside of the restaurant, staring through the glass, but she looks away just for a second and when she tries to find the person again, they’re already gone.

//

Linda’s heart is racing as she speeds down the sidewalk and into an alley nearby. Kara had almost seen her and if she blows her cover, Alex and Eve will be so angry with her. She can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy, though. Kara is on date with Lena. Why does Kara get to live her life normally when she has to hide in the shadows? It isn’t fair.

Alex told her that Kara Danvers and Supergirl are her enemies and that if she wants to live a normal life, she’ll have to kill them. He also told her to stay away from Lena, but if they’re always together, she doesn’t know how he expects her to follow all of those rules.

She paces back and forth up and down the alley, trying to figure out how to execute her plan. She would need to figure out a way to separate the two of them. By the time they leave the restaurant, Linda had flown up to the roof of the building and was able to listen in to their conversation as they climb into Lena’s car. She hears Lena ask if Kara wanted to come over, but Kara politely declines and said she has an early morning.

Linda breathes a sigh of relief and watches the car pull out and she follows them in the air. Lena’s driver drops Kara off at her apartment and it’s Linda’s chance to follow Kara to her place and attack, but she stares at the car as it drives off and Linda feels the urge to follow it instead. She can come back for Kara after she makes sure Lena makes it home safely.

Lena lives fifteen minutes from Kara’s place and Linda hovers around the penthouse balcony, watching as Lena walks into the building and patiently waiting for her to arrive. She watches Lena’s silhouette move through the apartment from room to room, flicking on the light switches as she walks to her bedroom to change. Linda gasps and flies over to the balcony near the living room, to give Lena some privacy and sits on the railing, her back to the door.

Linda sits and tries to concentrate on the sounds of the city - the cars honking, the industrial sounds of the men working late at the warehouses, anything to calm the noise in her head. She doesn’t hear Lena open her balcony door, so when she asks her - Supergirl - if everything is all right, she turns suddenly and pushes herself off of the railing and into the air.

“You suit is different,” Lena notes, looking at the dark gray material with the red trim. Linda looks down at and chastises herself for being so careless.

“It’s, um, it’s being repaired,” she says, thinking quickly.

“I see. Well, did you need something? Do you want to come inside?”

“I—no, thank you. I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry for bothering you, Ms. Luthor.” Linda takes off through the sky, leaving Lena in her apartment, confused and alone. All Linda can think about is how her life isn’t even her own. She’s not Kara, she’s not Supergirl, she’s no one. She’s a ghost.

And the only way to fix it is to kill Supergirl.

//

Linda makes her way back to her safe house and barges in through the balcony, startling Eve, who was sitting at one of the tables.

“Linda, where have you been?”

“I was out.”

“You went to see her again, didn’t you?” Eve sighs. “You know I’m going to have to tell Lex.”

Linda shakes her head. “Please, no. Not again.” She starts backing up toward the balcony as Eve closes the distance. Linda knows that Eve and Alex are sleeping together and that Eve’s loyalties lie with him. Eve pulls out a small pistol and a syringe that Linda recognizes as things that have been used to placate her in the past. She clenches her fists and uses her ice breath to push Eve back into the kitchen counter as she jumps out to the balcony. A loud bang echoes through the apartment and Linda feels a searing pain in her shoulder, but she makes it out. She looks at her hands outstretched in front of her and her veins are glowing green. Kryptonite. Eve shot her.

The pain is excruciating, but she powers through. She has to get to safety, and there’s only one place where she would feel safe enough.

Lena is sitting at her desk, looking over reports when something crashes through her balcony window, spraying glass all around her. She yelps and ducks around the side of her desk, thinking she’s being attacked again. When no other sounds come, she peeks out and sees the still body crumpled on the floor. She crawls to it and rolls the person on their back.

“Supergirl,” she gasps.

Linda looks up at her with pain filling her blue eyes and tears running down the sides of her face.

“Help me,” she whispers and reaches up for Lena’s cheek. Lena grabs her hand and squeezes it. She runs over to her phone and calls Jess, asking her to meet her in the basement lab and to tell no one.

She walks back to Linda and kneels down. “Can you stand up?” Linda nods weakly and gets to her feet. Lena drapes one of her arms around her shoulders and walks them over to her private elevator, pushing the button for the basement. Linda’s breaths become more ragged and labored and Lena has to prop her up against the elevator wall while they ride it down. When they arrive, Jess is waiting there at the elevator.

“Clear off that table over there,” Lena instructs as she drags Supergirl over to it. She sets her down gently and turns her on her side, looking at the wound in her shoulder. She’s not a medical doctor, but she can’t exactly take Supergirl to any emergency room. Running her hands down the gray and red suit, she looks for any way to remove it. “I don’t—how do I take this suit off, Supergirl?”

“Hidden zipper… at the neck,” she pants. Lena finds the zipper and unzips the suit, halfway down her back. As she peels it away from her shoulder, she sees the bullet lodged inside of her skin, and the surrounding skin glowing green. She knows it must be kryptonite, as she’s seen her brother’s prototypes and notes. Jess stands nearby, looking like she might be sick.

“Jess, please call Alex. Make sure security knows they’re coming.”

“Alex?” Linda mutters. “No, don’t call Alex. _Please.”_

Lena consoles her. “It’s okay, she’ll help you.”

“She?”

Lena gestures toward Jess to get moving. Gratefully, Jess nods and walks off to make the phone call. Lena looks around for anything that might help and she remembers something that her research team was working on. She grabs a syringe from a drawer and pops the cap. The amber liquid inside shines and she sticks the needle into Supergirl’s shoulder and injects her.

“What is that? What did you just put inside of me?” Linda demands, reaching back and grabbing the syringe.

“It’s a mild sedative and it should help with the pain until someone else gets here. I’ve been working on something to counteract the effects of kryptonite.”

“Who-who did you call? Who’s coming?” Linda asks nervously.

“Alex, from the DEO. I thought you two worked together,” Lena replies with a confused look.

Linda lifts herself up and sits on the edge of the table, cradling one of her arms. “I have to go. I can’t stay here.” She tries to take a few steps, but stumbles and knocks over some equipment.

“Supergirl, you’re in no condition to go anywhere. Please, let me help you.”

As Linda continues to move toward the door, it swings open and people dressed in all black burst in with weapons drawn. One of them, a woman with reddish hair, tells Lena to step away from Supergirl.

“Alex, what are you doing? She needs help.”

“A-Alex?” Linda repeats. “You…”

“I need you to come with us, Supergirl,” Alex says, taking a cautious step forward. Lena stands off to the side helplessly, wanting to reach out and comfort the Super.

The Kryptonian looks back at Lena with worry in her eyes. “Lena?”

“Go with them, Supergirl. They’re going to help you.”

Finally, Linda allows herself to be escorted out of the room and into the elevator. The other agents have their fingers hovering over the triggers of their weapons, which Lena finds odd. Alex stays behind, most likely to brief her and ask her what happened.

“Where did you find her?” Alex asks, finally looking like she can relax a little.

Lena relaxes, as well. “She crashed into my office, which reminds me that I’ll need to get all of that cleaned up. She looked like she had been shot by a kryptonite bullet and she seemed a little out of it, so I had Jess call you and I brought her down here.”

“Nothing seemed out of the ordinary?” Alex inquires.

“I don’t know what you mean. She seemed like herself, aside from the whole being injured thing. I’ve never seen her in pain like that.”

Alex sets her weapon down on the table and sighs. “Lena, that wasn’t Supergirl.”

Lena scoffs. She didn’t know Alex that well, but she was pretty sure that they weren’t at the joking part of their relationship yet. “What do you mean that wasn’t Supergirl?”

“If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you what I mean.”

Alex takes Lena to the DEO and after signing a mound of paperwork, she’s taken to one of the medical wings of the base. She sees Supergirl, or the woman she thinks is Supergirl, strapped to a bed and writhing in pain.

“Is that necessary?” Lena asks, wincing at the sounds coming from the woman.

“She could be dangerous,” Alex reasons.

Lena crosses her arms over her chest. “Okay, then how do you know it isn’t Supergirl?”

“Because I’m Supergirl,” a voice says from the doorway behind them. Supergirl, in her usual blue and red suit, stands a few feet away, brow furrowed as she looks at the imposter.

“You—how—if you’re you, then who is that?” Lena points toward the other woman. The imposter Super opens her eyes and looks at Lena.

“Lena? Please, help me.”

Lena swallows thickly, not knowing what to say or do.

“We need to know why she knows you, and what she wants with you,” Alex says. “The real Supergirl can escort you home and will keep watch over your apartment, at least for tonight.”

“That really isn’t needed. I can take care of myself.”

“It would make me feel better if you allowed me to,” Supergirl says.

Lena relents and nods at the woman and is escorted out of the building. Alex tells her not to go anywhere without informing Supergirl first. It feels like she’s being babysat, which annoys her to no end, but she reasons that it’s for her own good. After all, her brother is out of prison and is long overdue for a death threat. Lena’s driver takes her home and every once in a while, she’ll peer out of the car window and see Supergirl flying next to them. She shouldn’t feel guilty, but she does for not being able to tell the imposter from the real thing. They were identical and the imposter didn’t look like she meant Lena any harm. In fact, it seemed like the imposter was a little attached to her.

When she arrives at her apartment, the driver opens the door for her and Supergirl opens the building door. Lena smiles to herself at the service she’s receiving. Supergirl rides up the elevator with her and they exit at the top floor. Lena pulls out her keys and unlocks the door after disarming the alarms. She sets her coat and her purse down and removes her heels at the door. Supergirl looks around, eyes wide as she looks from room to room.

“Are you hungry?” Lena asks. “I can order some pizza, or something.”

Supergirl grins widely. “Pizza sounds great.”

Lena nods and takes out her phone, ordering a few pizzas for the two of them. She excuses herself and retreats to her bedroom, where she changes into something more comfortable. She peeks her head out and asks Supergirl if she would like to change. The blonde politely declines and says she may be needed, so she’d better keep her suit on. Lena comes back out and finds Supergirl sitting on the couch with her hands folded in her lap, looking a little uncomfortable. She pours herself a drink before joining her.

“You have a really nice place,” Supergirl says with a smile. Lena takes a sip of her scotch and feels it burn all the way down her throat.

“Thank you. It’s all done by an interior designer; I just gave her a color palette to work with and this is what she came up with.”

Supergirl snorts. “Your color palette was white and gray?”

“ _Excuse me_ ,” Lena retorts. “There’s some black in there, too.” She and Supergirl had never really spent a lot of time together, not enough to consider each other friends, but the banter felt natural, almost friendly. The buzzer to the apartment rings and Supergirl bolts up, holding her hand out to stop Lena from answering. After she scans the door, Supergirl opens it and accepts the pizza. Lena hands her some cash and it’s given to the delivery boy, who thanks the both of them.

They sit down with their slices of pizza and Supergirl stuffs half a slice in her mouth and starts chewing. Lena quirks and eyebrow and Supergirl looks at her apologetically, swallowing her bite.

“Okay, so I have to ask,” Supergirl says, “have you been in contact with your brother since he got out of prison?”

Lena shakes his head. “No, not a word. I’m kind of waiting for something grandiose to happen. It isn’t like him to lay low for this long.”

Supergirl nods. “Well, the DEO and I will be ready for him. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I appreciate that, Supergirl, but I’ve lived through many of his death threats before. I think I can handle it.”

“Of that I’m certain, Ms. Luthor. I’m just saying that I’ll be here if you need me.”

Lena nods gratefully and they finish eating their pizza in silence. After they clean up, Lena goes to take a shower and leaves Supergirl alone. When she comes out, Supergirl is on the phone with someone and pacing back and forth in her living room.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? We don’t know what this other me is capable of. What if she has different powers? Look, I just—fine, I’ll bring her back tomorrow morning.”

She hangs up and looks at Lena, sighing. “Alex says that the… other me… won’t talk to anyone but you. If you’re not up for it, you don’t have to talk to her. We can find other ways.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll go,” Lena replies with a slight smile. “If I can help in any way, I want to.”

Supergirl nods. “I’ll be there the entire time in case she tries anything.” She takes a step forward and she’s close enough to feel Lena’s breath and can most likely hear her heart beating out of her chest. She shakes her head slightly and steps backward again. “Anyway, you should get some sleep. I’ll make another loop around the building and then I’ll sleep in here on your couch.” Lena nods and heads toward her bedroom. She stops in the doorway and whispers a _goodnight, Supergirl_ over her shoulder.

//

The next morning, Lena wakes up and gets dressed. Supergirl is already awake and ready to escort her back to the DEO. Alex is there to greet them when they arrive and she takes them to one of the cells, where the imposter Supergirl is being held.

“Okay, we’ll just be outside. If she tries anything, we’ll be here within seconds.”

Lena nods and sits in the chair that’s sat just outside of the cell. The other woman sits on the edge of her bed and she almost looks scared. Her resemblance to the real Supergirl is uncanny, almost like they’re clones of each other.

“Who are you?” Lena asks, leaning forward in the chair.

“My name is Linda, but Alex calls me Snowbird sometimes.”

Lena wrinkles her forehead. “Alex? The woman here?”

Linda shakes her head. “No, a man. He has no hair, but he—he hurts me, sometimes. He makes me forget, but I escaped before he could do it again.”

A wave of dread washes over Lena. It has to be Lex.

“His name is Lex and he’s my brother. Where did you come from?”

“Kasnia. I don’t remember much, I only remember the things Alex planted in my head, whatever he taught me. And I remember you! You were the only thing I wanted to remember.”

“Why me?” Lena pries, leaning back in the chair. This could all be an elaborate plan set in motion by her brother. She can’t afford to lower her defenses.

“I read about you in Kara Danvers’ diary, so you must have been important. I wanted to learn more about you,” Linda admits truthfully.

There are so many questions Lena has, but she’ll have to ask about them later. “So, you decided to impersonate Supergirl to get closer to me?”

“Yes—well, not exactly. You seemed important to Kara, so I wanted to see why. Then when I met you, I understood. I didn’t ask to be her. I want my own life, too, but I can’t, not when I look like this.” Linda looks down at her clothing and looks disgusted. “I never asked for this. I never asked to look like her.”

Lena gives her a pitying look. She knows how it feels to be in the shadow of someone you didn’t expect, or ask to be connected to. She doesn’t know what Lex has planned for her, though.

“I wasn’t going to hurt you, you know,” Linda says, pulling at invisible string on her pants. “I would never.”

“What does Lex want with me?”

Linda shrugs. “He never said. He only told me to stay away from you and I was supposed to destroy the real Supergirl and take over her life, but whenever I saw you with her, I froze. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t hurt you.”

Things start falling into place and Lena understands. “You’re in love with me,” she whispers. “And Kara—“ she stops herself, feeling her chest ache.

Linda doesn’t look up at her.

“It was you, that day in the elevator at CatCo, and again when you asked me out to dinner.” Linda nods and Lena sighs. This was too much information. Kara hadn’t asked her out. She thought those looks she was getting meant something, but they weren’t coming from Kara. Kara was just her friend, who wrote about her in her diary, probably just to keep tabs on her. She’s just another Luthor to keep an eye on.

“Kara doesn’t know that you know who she is, at least it wasn’t in her diary.”

“No, she wouldn’t know. I haven’t said anything and I’ve been told I’m a good liar,” Lena says as she wrings her fingers. “She thinks we’re friends and that Supergirl and I are acquaintances.”

Linda finally looks up and frowns. “Aren’t you?”

Lena swallows thickly. “Of course we are.”

“But you want to be more,” Linda replies in understanding. Of course. She was in love with Lena and Lena was in love with Kara. How poetic. How… pathetic. Lena doesn’t need to answer for Linda to know the truth. It made sense – the eagerness to eat together and spend time together, the way that Lena looked at her, but it was the way she looked at Kara. Linda had mistaken those looks for gazes at herself, but now she knew. They were looks reserved for Kara and Kara alone.

“I’m sorry, Linda. You seem really nice. You and I could probably be great friends.”

Linda scoffs. “Please, spare me the false niceties. I’m Lex’s weapon, I’m the enemy. He built me this way. You should stay away from me.”

“You were the one who called me here,” Lena argues, sitting up straight in her chair.

“Yes, and now I’ve changed my mind. Let them do whatever they want with me – kill me, send me to the Phantom Zone, I deserve it.”

Lena looked into the cell with pity in her eyes. She looked at this person, who looked like Kara, but wasn’t Kara. This wasn’t a superhero, she was lost and was just looking for her place in the world. She feels a hand on her shoulder and she looks up to see Kara standing over her.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we need to speak with you outside.”

Lena gives Linda an apologetic look and stands up. Linda glares daggers into Kara’s back, but none of them notice. She leans back against the wall, dangling her feet off the edge of the hard mattress. The cell wasn’t much bigger than her room in Kasnia, but at least it was a little brighter and wasn’t so stuffy. She wonders if Lex is looking for her. He’d been the closest thing she had to a parent and through his tough exterior, she was certain that he felt an ounce of affection toward her, even if he did routinely wipe her memory if she messed up. It was for her own good, to keep her on task – a task that she failed to carry out multiple times. She sighs. Lex is probably furious.

She flattens her palms on her thighs restlessly and waits for someone else to walk through the door. When someone does walk through the door, it’s not who she’d hoped for. Kara walks in with conviction and stands in front of her cell in her practiced hero pose.

“We’re trying to figure out what to do with you,” she says sternly. “I don’t want to kill you, but you can’t exactly be free to roam around the city.”

Linda shrugs. She knows that her days are limited and she’s grown resigned to the fact that she will most likely die. She was never meant to live in the first place.

“But,” Kara continues, “for whatever reason, Lena’s grown attached to you, so if I do kill you or send you away, she will most likely never forgive me.”

Linda smiles slightly. Lena cares about her, not just about Kara, but about _her_.

“So, what will you do?”

Kara sighs and shrugs her shoulders. “We can’t both exist at the same time, so we either trade off on being Kara and Supergirl, or one of us hides out here in the DEO while the other runs amok out there. To be honest, though, I don’t really like the idea of sharing my identity with anyone.”

Linda stands up and looks Kara in the eye. “Aren’t there times when you’re tired of being both? I could take some of the load for you.”

“Honestly, yeah, there are days where I just want to rest and not have to save the planet from some violent alien, or have to write a story about polluted water in the city by five the same afternoon.”

“See? Then let me do it. I can handle it.”

Kara chews on the corner of her lip and places her hands on her hips. “Okay, let me go talk to Alex and J’onn about it and see if we can set up a schedule. You’ll need to be trained, as well, and we’ll have to monitor you to make sure you don’t do anything stupid and that Lex won’t try to use you again.”

//

“This is a really bad idea,” Alex warns. “She could be unstable. We don’t even _know_ her.”

“But Lena seems to, and I trust her,” Kara reasons.

“It’s too dangerous, Supergirl. We still need to make sure she’s not under Lex Luthor’s control,” J’onn adds, using his stern dad voice.

“I’ll watch her! I’ll make sure nothing happens.”

“And what happens if something does and we have to explain why there are two Supergirls?” Alex argues. Kara clenches her jaw and balls her hands into fists. Why were they both being so _difficult_?

“So, what, you’re just going to let her rot in that cell? How is that any better than what Lex was doing do her?”

“Listen, Supergirl, I know you feel some kind of affection toward her, because she _is_ you, but that still doesn’t negate the fact that Lex Luthor molded her to be a weapon. She was made to _kill_ you.”

Kara knows that J’onn is right, that Linda was made to destroy her at any costs and if she knows herself, she knows that she’ll do whatever it takes to carry out a mission, but also, she wouldn’t hurt anyone who was innocent. But was she innocent? Did she deserve this?

“Sorry to interrupt, but I think I might have a plan,” Lena says from the doorway. J’onn, Alex, and Kara all turn to look at her and J’onn waves her in.

//

“Absolutely not! Lena, what you’re proposing is ridiculous. It’s putting you right in the line of fire.”

“It kills two birds with one stone – it’ll bring my brother out of hiding, because I suspect this is all to get at me, and it’ll prove whether or not Linda is trustworthy.”

“But if she’s not, you’ll die! I’m not letting you do this.”

“Supergirl is right, this is too dangerous,” Alex agrees. “J’onn can shapeshift to look like Lena and still carry out the same plan.”

Lena shakes her head. “My brother is too smart, he’ll figure it out.”

Kara takes a step forward. “Listen, Lena, I know you want to help, but I can’t let anything happen to you. I told you that I’d keep you safe.”

Kara’s familiar scent wafted into Lena’s nostrils and it made her lightheaded. She loves that Kara cares about her so much, but she hates that she doesn’t know Lena cares just as much. She hesitantly brings her hand up and traces the House of El insignia, the intimate gesture causes Kara to hold her breath and J’onn and Alex both look away, trying to look busy at an empty desk.

“Please, Supergirl, let me do this. I know my brother better than anyone. You’ll be there with me and if Linda is as she says, she’ll be there, too.”

Kara really doesn’t like this idea, but it may be the best shot they have at apprehending Lex, so she nods and Lena looks relieved.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Supergirl,” J’onn says with concern. He leaves the room with Alex to prepare Linda for transport.

“Me too,” Kara whispers back.

//

They shackle Linda’s hands together with kryptonite handcuffs and sit her down in one of the vehicles. Kara and Lena sit across from her, watching her closely. They sit silently in the darkness and Linda steals glances at Lena. When Kara notices this, she clears her throat and Linda averts her eyes.

“You’d better not betray us,” Kara warns.

Just as Linda is about to respond, their van lurches forward and comes to a complete stop. There’s a commotion outside and then it’s quiet. A thump comes from the top of the van and the metal screeches as it’s peeled off. Standing above them is Lex Luthor in some kind of power suit and he’s smiling.

“Hey, sis. It’s good to see you. You don’t call, you don’t write. I’m starting to think our relationship might be on the rocks. And you,” he directs his attention toward Linda, “I’m really disappointed in you. After all I’ve done for you.”

“You tortured me, wiped my memories, kept me in the dark. You’ve done nothing for me, Lex Luthor.”

Lex laughed mockingly. “Ah, so you finally know my name. Well, let’s get on with it, then. It’s going to feel even sweeter after I kill two Kryptonians.” He lifts his hands up to shield his face and Kara growls before shooting up into the sky and dragging Lex with her. She punches the helmet protecting his head and it doesn’t even crack. He pushes her off of him and she flies back a few feet, only to charge at him once more. They trade blows, but neither one of them seems to be taking any damage.

Lena sits frozen in the van, trying not to panic at the sight of her brother in his suit. She knew he had been working on something like that, but didn’t know he’d finished it.

“Lena,” Linda says, trying to shake her out of her stupor.

The CEO’s hands shake in her lap and she starts to think of all the things she could have done to prevent this. She could have destroyed all of Lex’s work, she could have done something, _anything_.

“Lena!” Linda shouts finally, kneeling in front of her. “Let me help Supergirl. Take these off of me.”

With a nod, Lena works at the handcuffs and unlocks them. As they drop to the floor, Linda lifts a hand to cradle Lena’s cheek gently.

“Stay here,” she says quietly before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. She takes off after Lex and Kara and follows the noises of battle. The skin where the kiss was placed burns Lena’s skin, but she doesn’t dare wipe it away. She looks up into the sky where both of her Supers are fighting to keep her and National City safe.

DEO agents flood the scene and a couple are stationed around the vehicle where Lena is. Alex runs up to make sure she’s okay and then heads off to try and find where Kara and Linda are.

“They’re on First and Church,” Alex says into her communicator as she runs down the street. She sees her sister and the other Kryptonian flying through the air, zipping back and forth, trying to wear Lex down.

 Lex darts down and quickly flies toward the vehicle where Lena is, but Linda cuts him off and knocks him into a nearby building. They tumble to the concrete and Linda bears her full weight on him as he lies on his back.

“Aw, did someone get a little attached to my sister? I knew she would be your downfall. She was always mine.”

Linda roars and throws her fist down at Lex, but he just laughs when his suit remains impenetrable. He blasts her away with beams that come from his wrists and she flies backward, digging her heels into the ground to stop her movement. She charges at him again and pushes him back and he chuckles.

“Hm. Maybe I’ll string her up by her feet and force the two of you to watch while I rip off all of my sister’s limbs. Or, perhaps, I’ll just drain her of all her blood. That would take longer.”

“You. Will not. Touch her,” Linda says between punches. Lex laughs as if it tickles. Supergirl lands nearby and walks toward them.

“Oh, well this is a new development. Could this be a blossoming love for my dear sister? Both you and Kara Zor-El fighting for her affection. How disgustingly sweet.”

“God, I can’t wait to punch that smile right off of your face,” Kara says, taking another step closer.

“You Kryptonians are always so predictable. You fight with your hearts and your… convictions. It only serves to handicap you. Let’s see what happens when a Kryptonian finally follows orders.” He turns to face Linda, looking her and grins menacingly. “ _Chai sprgrl._ ”

Linda’s eyes gloss over and she looks like she’s in a trance. She turns suddenly to locate Supergirl, who is heading their way. She cuts her off mid-flight and pushes them both through the side of an abandoned building, tumbling to the ground. Kara gets up slowly, standing defensively.

“Linda! What are you doing?”

“I have to kill you in order to survive,” Linda replies, stalking forward slowly. Her eyes start to glow red and Kara prepares to counter with her own heat vision. Linda unleashes her attack and Kara is ready; their beams match each other, not moving an inch in either direction, but when a familiar voice cries out and that specific rhythm of a heartbeat thumps in their ears.

“Lena,” Linda gasps, seemingly breaking the spell put on her. She flies out of the building back toward the vehicle Lena was in. The DEO agents are all lying on the ground and Lex is hundreds of feet in the air, holding Lena by her wrist. Kara flies out soon after and both Supers face Lex.

“Let her go,” Kara demands, balling her hands into fists at her sides.

Lex smirks. “That can be arranged. Let’s see if you two are in sync and can save the girl and apprehend the enemy.” He releases Lena’s wrist and she starts falling. Both Kara and Linda race down to catch her.

“I’ve got her, you get Lex,” Kara shouts, speeding up to cut Lena off.

“No, I’ll get her. _You_ get Lex,” Linda argues, also speeding up.

“There’s no time for this! I’ll get her, she’ll be fine. Go get him.” Linda makes a frustrated noise and breaks off, flying in the opposite direction. Kara swoops down just underneath Lena and catches her in her arms. They drift down slowly until their feet hit the ground and Lena’s arms remain wrapped around Kara’s shoulders.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you,” Kara whispers into Lena’s dark hair. She can hear the other woman’s heartbeat thrumming out of her chest.

“Kara, I—“ The slip of the name causes both of their bodies to stiffen.

“You—you know?”

Lena pulls away slightly and doesn’t meet the superhero’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I was trying to wait for you to say something to me first. I wanted you to trust me enough.”

“Oh, god, Lena, it had nothing to do with trust. I wanted to tell you so many times, but it was for your own protection – a lot of good that did. Lex already knows who I am and he’s using it against me. I’ve always trusted you, Lena. I—”

They’re interrupted once again by Lex landing a few feet away from them. He shoots a device at Kara and it attaches itself to her chest. She falls back and writhes on the floor in pain. Lena looks up at Lex in horror and he shrugs.

“New toy. I call it a kryptonite spider. The barbs on the legs there will tear her skin off if it’s pulled out. Nasty stuff.” He stalks toward Lena slowly and aims one of his weapons at her. “Now, where were we?”

Seconds later, Linda lands in between Lex and Lena, glaring right at him.

“Oh, the guard dog is back. You know this one is in love with you, too, right?”

Lena’s mouth twitches slightly. What does he mean by _too_? Before she can really think about it, Linda is using her heat vision on Lex and taking a few steps forward. With each passing second, each step forward, Linda yells louder and more pained. She’s expelling all of the grief she’d endured at the hands of Lex, letting it all pour out of her. All of the feelings of not belonging, of not having a life of her own, being used, knowing that Lena loves Kara and not her, everything rushes out of her like a tidal wave. With one last scream, a burst of light shines brightly and the force of Linda blowing out her powers pushes everyone nearby to the ground.

Lena covers her face with her arm until the dust settles and Alex and J’onn rush up to both her and Kara. Her ears are ringing, so Lena doesn’t hear what’s being said, but J’onn is frantically pointing at Kara and yelling something to other agents. They run up with a stretcher and set Kara down on top of it and a few other agents apprehend Lex, whose suit seems to have lost all its power after Linda’s solar flare went off. That leaves Lena to crawl over to Linda to make sure she’s all right. The Kryptonian is lying unconscious, but she’s still breathing. Lena gently presses her hand up to Linda’s chest, on top of the tiny red insignia on her shoulder. Alex kneels down and puts an arm around Lena’s shoulder.

“Are you hurt?”

Lena shakes her head. “No. She—Linda saved me. Is she going to be okay?”

Alex looks down at the other Super. “I think so. Supergirl’s blown out her powers before, as well. It’ll just take a few days for her to recover, but she should be fine.”

Lena nods, taking one of Linda’s hands in her own and squeezing it tightly, willing her to be okay. A couple agents finally come around with another stretcher and lift Linda on top of it, wheeling her away to one of the vehicles. Alex insists that Lena go back with them, just to get checked out by one of their doctors and she reluctantly agrees on the condition that she can see Kara and Linda.

Alex oversees her check-up with the DEO doctor and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong, aside from a few cuts and bruises. True to her word, Alex escorts Lena to Kara’s room, who had just gotten out of surgery. They had to freeze Kara’s skin around the spider before they could remove it and then wait for the kryptonite to flush itself out of her bloodstream. She still looks pale, even under the sun lamps, but at least she’s alive. Lena sits down next to Kara’s sun bed and trails her hand down the still arm until she clutches the Kryptonian’s hand in her own. She wonders what it must be like to find out that not only are you no longer the last Daughter of Krypton, but also finding out that the second to last remaining member of your race wanted to kill you.

“Kara, I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but we’re going to need to have a long talk when you wake up.”

After Lena sits with Kara for a while, she’s taken to Linda’s room, who is also lying underneath a sun bed. She pulls up a chair and sighs, tucking a strand of hair behind the blonde’s ear and just watches her. It’s unbelievable how this person can look exactly like Kara, but still be so different. Where Kara is bubbly and light, Linda is stoic and thoughtful.

And both of them love her.

She feels a tinge of guilt, because she knows that she can’t possibly love both of them equally… can she? She hardly knows Linda, but Linda seems to know her well. With a sigh, she continues examining the other Kryptonian’s face. She wonders if she would be able to tell the two of them apart if they were both standing in their super-suits. That thought doesn’t get much further when Alex appears in the doorway again, asking Lena to follow her to fill out some paperwork.

“If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know,” she assures her. Lena follows her down a long corridor, where J’onn is waiting for them. The stack of papers in front of him is daunting, but Lena knows that it’s necessary. She is no stranger to NDAs, especially within L-Corp.

“What did Lex want with you?” Alex asks.

Lena shrugs. “I think he just wanted to torture me, to use me as bait for Supergirl. He knew she would try to protect me.”

“God, what an asshole,” Alex mutters. Lena laughs heartily and signs on another dotted line. J’onn isn’t as amused, but Lena swears he sees him crack a smile.

“Where is he?”

“He’s being held in a cell until we can figure out what to do with him. Clearly, human prison isn’t working,” J’onn answers. 

“Would I be able to speak with him?”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Ms. Luthor,” J’onn replies.

Lena sighs, knowing that J’onn is probably right. Lex knows how to push her buttons and will likely say awful things just to get a rise out of her. She didn’t want to open herself up to that much torment, even if she did want to know what he meant by both Supers being in love with her. She knew about Linda, but not about Kara and it was frustrating her that she couldn’t talk to Kara. She wasn’t exactly sure what she would say if she were awake. _So, I hear you’re in love with me too? When did_ that _happen?_

After signing her last signature, Alex gathers up all of the paperwork and hands it off to another office assistant and stares intently at Lena. J’onn feels something brewing, so he takes his leave and shuts the door behind him.

“Look, Alex, if this is a ‘what are your intentions with Supergirl speech, you don’t need to bother. I don’t even know what’s happening, or what I’m doing.”

Alex remains silent, but still very intimidating, rapping her fingers across the table. Lena shifts uncomfortably on her seat, but keeps her eyes on Alex, not allowing herself to be bested.

“Do you love her?”

“Who?”

“Either of them? Both of them? Neither?”

Lena opens her mouth to speak, but no words fall out. She honestly doesn’t know what to say. “I-I’m not sure.”

“Well, you’d better figure it out by the time they wake up, or else you’re going to have two very headstrong and persistent Kryptonians fighting over you, and it probably won’t end well.”

Alex stands up and gives her a sympathetic look. “If it’s any consolation, l think Supergirl is a good person and she’d do anything to protect you. And Linda seems nice enough, if you ignore the mind-control and betrayal, so whatever you choose, it’ll be your decision, and it will be the right one.”

Lena lets out a long drawn-out breath and shuts her eyes. After Alex leaves, she stands up and walks back to the hospital wing and stands in between Linda and Kara’s rooms. She hears rapid beeping coming from Kara’s machines and she rushes in, shouting for help. Some nurses come in and check on Kara, who’s awake and thrashing around in the sun bed. Lena takes a step forward and places a hand on Kara’s arm, stroking it soothingly. Kara looks up at her and lies still, a tear falling down her cheek.

“I-I couldn’t save you,” she sobs quietly. “That stupid kryptonite spider…”

Lena sits down and nods at the nurses, assuring them that they’re okay. Once they leave, Lena leans in closely and runs a hand through Kara’s golden hair.

“She saved you, didn’t she,” Kara asks disdainfully, turning her head away.

Lena sighs. “Yes, she did.” Kara moves her arm out from underneath Lena’s touch and turns her body away to face the wall.

“You should go see her.”

“Kara—“

“Please, I’d like to be alone.”

Lena bites her bottom lip to keep herself from crying. She stands up and makes her way to the door, telling Kara that she’ll be right next door if she needs anything. Kara doesn’t reply. She peeks into Linda’s room and sees that she’s still sleeping, but without anywhere else to go, Lena sits down beside her.

“I don’t know what to do,” Lena admits quietly. “How am I supposed to choose? I don’t want to hurt anyone.” She lays her head in her hands and leans her elbows on the edge of the bed, finally allowing her tears to fall in the seclusion of a room with an unconscious Kryptonian, or so she thought.

“Perhaps you should choose yourself, Lena Luthor,” Linda croaks out. Lena gasps and sits up straight.

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” Lena asks, fussing over the other woman.

Linda waves her away. “I’m fine, a little tired and quite thirsty.”

“Oh, of course,” Lena replies, pouring out a cup of water for her. Linda takes it greedily and gulps it down in seconds. Lena pours her another glass and hands it to Linda.

“How is Kara?”

Lena fidgets in her seat and tugs at the blanket that’s draped over Linda. “She is… upset.”

“Why?” Linda asks.

“Because she wasn’t able to protect me, I imagine. I think she may be jealous.”

Linda scoffs a little. “There should be nothing to be jealous of as long as you’re safe. I didn’t do it for competition.”

Lena nods. “I know that, but I think Kara may be feeling a little threatened by you. She asked to be left alone after she woke up.”

Linda’s brow furrows. “I didn’t mean to strain your relationship with her. I—I really only wanted to protect you from Lex, and I almost couldn’t do that. I’m sorry that I couldn’t control myself. When he spoke Kryptonese, it was like I had no choice but to obey him.”

“I know that, too. Lex is—he’s cunning and brilliant in the worst way. He’s always five steps ahead.” Lena reaches out to grasp Linda’s hand, but catches herself and takes her hand back. She sucks air through her teeth and looks around the sterilized room. She suddenly feels trapped, her heart beating quickly, and stands up. “Are you hungry? I can go get you something to eat.”

“Lena? Are you all right?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. I just need... I need some air, excuse me.” She rushes out of the room and practically knocks herself over by running into Kara. “Kara?”

“Are you okay? Your heart... it’s beating very fast.”

“I’m fine, Kara. I’m just going out to get some fresh air.”

“Do you need company?”

Lena tries not to let her annoyance show, so she silently shakes her head. “No, you should stay here. You two should talk.”

The Supers watch Lena leave and Kara puts her hands on her hips and stands up straight.

“So, what are we supposed to talk about?”

“I am assuming we are supposed to talk about her.”

Kara looks toward the doorway and then at Linda, a crinkle between her eyebrows forming.

“I love her,” Linda says quietly, staring at the blanket laid across her lap. “And I think you love her, too.”

Kara scoffs. “I don’t—we—we’re just friends. I mean, Kara and her are friends.”

“Kara, do not make the mistake of waiting too long. I’ve read your diary - multiple times, I’m guessing. If it’s formed my view of her time and time again, and each time I’ve been drawn to her, I can only imagine how you feel, after being the one who’s written about her for years.”

Kara remains silent for a moment and Linda continues.

“I am not here to compete for her. I don’t believe there’s any way that I can compete with you, anyway. I’ll leave, try to find my place elsewhere.”

“You, you don’t have to leave. You could stay here, we can figure something out.”

Linda shakes her head. “No, if I stay here, it would be too... painful. I can’t stay. Don’t worry about me, Kara Zor-El. I am a survivor, I will be okay.”

Kara takes her hand and squeezes it gently. “You will always be welcome here. We’ll just need to find you a disguise.”

“Hopefully, one that is better than a pair of glasses and a cardigan.”

Kara sputters and Linda laughs. They share a brief look of understanding before Kara leaves Linda to continue to rest underneath the lamps. When she’s fully healed, she tells everyone that she’ll be leaving Earth, much to their surprise.

“Are you sure we can’t convince you to stay, Snowbird?” J’onn asks sincerely. “We could always use another helping hand.”

Linda shakes her head. “Kara is right, there cannot be two Supergirls and I would not wish to impose myself further. Perhaps there is another planet out there who could use a Supergirl.”

J’onn and Alex say their goodbyes and Kara gives her a long hug, reiterating that she’s always welcome back and she’ll be there for her if she ever needs help or advice.

Lena takes a step forward and nervously wrings her fingers. Linda smiles at her and puts both hands on her shoulders.

“I am glad to have met you. It wasn’t quite the same just reading about you.”

Lena chuckles lightheartedly and brings her in for a hug. Linda sighs and returns the hug, trying to memorize the way she smells and how her heart beats. The rhythm will remain etched in her mind and will act as a lullaby on nights that are particularly lonely.

“Don’t forget about me,” Lena whispers.

“I don’t think that’s even possible,” Linda replies. They pull away from each other and Linda gives her and Kara one last nod before she jumps into the air. She takes one more look down at them and smiles.

“You are loved, Lena Luthor. Remember that.” Linda and takes off across the dusky sky, leaving everyone wondering what Linda meant by that - everyone but Kara.

J’onn and Alex head back inside the DEO and Kara turns to face Lena.

“Lena, I—“

“You don’t have to say anything, Kara. I would rather you didn’t right now, actually. It would feel forced or out of obligation.”

“She’s right, though. You are loved,” Kara says with a shrug.

Lena curls her fingers into fists and shakes her head. She knows deep down that she is, but after everything that’s happened with Lex, with Linda, she needs space. She needs time to think.

Alex takes her home and Kara stays behind, but Lena assures her that they’ll talk later. 

//

It takes her two weeks to muster up the courage to send Kara a text, asking if they can meet. She’s been mulling over the past month’s events in her head and the only conclusion that she could come up with was that she either has to let Kara go, or always feel like Kara was forced to admit her feelings, making it disingenuous. She isn’t sure she has the constitution to raise up her self-worth enough to think Kara would have eventually told her on her own, or just keep wondering if Kara only has feelings, because both her brother and Linda told her she did.

They meet at a coffee shop close to CatCo and Kara fiddles with her mug before lifting it up to sip the hot liquid. Lena takes her own sip and sighs when Kara won’t look at her.

“Okay, I guess I’ll start. The fact that you’ve been hiding who you are from me isn’t something worth getting upset over, because I understand why you did it. In the same vein, I also understand why you never told me about your feelings for me, because I imagine it was the same reason I never said anything.”

Kara looks up and the crease in her forehead and the tiny pout would normally make Lena melt, but she has to be vigilant.

“I never wanted to hide anything from you or lie to you,” Kara says. “Lex had no right to say anything, but he hates me, so of course he doesn’t care about etiquette. I would have told you eventually, about everything. It’s just that Alex still doesn’t know who I am and if I can’t tell her, how was I ever going to tell you?”

Lena nods in understanding and pushes her coffee away. “So, what do we do now? Is it too late for us?”

Kara shrugs. “I don’t know. I hope not, but I would understand if you felt betrayed and didn’t want to deal with me. Linda never lied to you.”

“Linda isn’t you. I know you think you two are the same, but you’re not. _You_ are my best friend, Kara. You’re the one who’s been there for me these past few years. You’re the one who knows who I really am.”

“So, if Linda comes back and asks you out, you’d turn her down?” Kara asks, smiling wryly.

Lena rolls her eyes. “Well, if a certain reporter continues to drag her feet, then I would look into taking other offers.”

Kara frowns and adjusts her glasses. “Fine. Lena Luthor, would you do me the great honor of accompanying me to dinner on Friday night?”

“It’s about time, Miss Danvers,” Lena replies with a wide grin as she reaches across the table and takes Kara’s hand. She looks out the window and sees a blur of blonde hair zip across the sidewalk. She smiles to herself and sends a silent _thank you_ to the other Kryptonian who saved her life and her heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Chai sprgrl = kill Supergirl


End file.
